A 13-year-old boy in Los Angeles, who was allegedly bribed to get vaccinated at his school, has been experiencing lingering COVID-19 vaccine side effects, prompting his mother to file a lawsuit against the school district.
Maribel Duarte said in a news conference Wednesday, July 27, that her son, Moises, has not been the same since he had two shots of the Pfizer vaccine in October and November 2021 at the Barack Obama Global Prep Academy. The boy apparently cannot sleep or rest well and cannot withstand physical exercises like he used to.
"He is not the same anymore," the mom said, per KTLA. "He's not normal to me."
A violation of parental rights
Nicole Pearson, the mother's attorney, said this lawsuit is not about anti-vaccination or a conspiracy theory. Duarte's parental rights were violated, and she wasn't able to protect her child from harm. Duarte has had the vaccine, but she has been holding off on her son's jab due to his health issues.
Duarte said that Moses' doctor advised against getting the shots because the teenager has asthma and a bleeding disorder. She also claimed that her son was made to forge his consent form by the school nurse and a pizza bribe. Moses was also apparently told not to say anything so he would not get into trouble, per NBC Los Angeles.
Soon after getting vaccinated, Duarte noticed her son's unusual health issues. She said she reached out to the Los Angeles Unified School District but received no response from the officials.
The Los Angeles Unified School District mandated vaccination for all students above 12 years old as of January 2022. Those who did not comply and could not present a legal exemption remained in virtual classes.
The school district officials refused to comment on the pending legal case.
Parents hesitate to vaccinate their kids
The news comes as a survey from Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 43 percent of parents across the U.S. do not want the vaccine for kids, especially those below five years old. In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COVID-19 vaccinations for all children above six months old.
About 28 percent of parents with children in the 12 to 17-year-old bracket, Moses' age group, oppose the vaccination. At least 8 in 10 parents said that they are worried about the lingering COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
The survey also revealed that more than half of the parents were confused about the government's information drive in vaccinating children for COVID-19 protection. Thus, there is still more room to improve when it comes to vaccine education.
The Kaiser Family Foundation said healthcare providers must listen instead of admonishing vaccine-hesitant parents. The experts who conducted the survey said that since vaccination is a very personal issue, it will be better for healthcare providers to individualize their interactions with patients to get to the bottom of their concerns and fears about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids.
